Fight Like Him
by The Goliath Beetle
Summary: Dark Ace. The villain. The traitor. The Cyclonian. And yet, at one point of time, he was a Storm Hawk. Once, long ago, he had been Lightning Strike's friend. Fighting Aerrow just haunts him.


Fight Like Him

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**A/N: You know what my problem is? My problem is that the Storm Hawks TV show has so much scope for characterisation, and they've never acted on it. I know it's a kids' show, but seriously. Their characters have so much _variety_! And their villains have potential! With a little effort, they could've made Dark Ace an amazingly complicated guy, what with the betrayal and everything. There's so much room for development, and what do they do? Make him a cardboard flat dumbass with no depth at all.**

**Think about it. It takes a special sort of lunatic to backstab his best friends, go over to the evil side, and fight his best friend's son. It's interesting. And do we get even a _single _introspective? Correct me if I'm wrong, but no, we don't. If I were trying to kill my friend's kid, trust me, I'd be haunted. **

**Sorry about the rant. *Exhales in irritation* This is me trying an introspective piece about the Dark Ace and Aerrow. It's not slash, so I'm sorry if that's what you were hoping for. **

**Happy reading.**

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You look so much like him. It's unnerving. Like deja vu. Your green eyes, so much like his used to be, stare at me like skeletons in my closet. Sometimes I imagine fighting him instead of you. Those are generally my worst defeats. I've done it once. But I never thought I'd have to try and kill him again.

You've inherited your father's talent. I keep telling that to myself before I sleep at night. You're a gifted fighter, so much more than I am. That's why I lose. Or maybe that's why I let you win. It's hard to explain. It's as though a part of me doesn't want to hurt you at all. Sometimes, I wonder what it would be like to treat you as a godson or a nephew, as I would have if things had been different.

I can still remember his face when he told me your mother was pregnant. _"You're going to be an uncle, Ace!" _he had said, clapping me on the back. We weren't related by blood, but our bonds ran deep. And what did I do after that? Months later, I clapped him in the back too. With a sword.

Do you wonder why I did it? Sometimes, I wish I could just sit with you and talk. I wish I could tell you who your father was, because you deserve to know. I knew him as a human. All the stories you hear of portray him as a god. I understand that you think he is. But no. He was every bit as mortal as I am.

It was his innocent human errors that drove me away.

You picture him as an idol of perfection, but I can tell you that he wasn't. In every sense of the term, he was a snob. Your fame hasn't gone to your head yet. But wait for it. One day, you'll look in the mirror and see someone unbreakable. That day, I'll look at you and see a matchstick man, so very easy to destroy.

His enormous head cast me in a shadow. Cyclonia offered me a way out. A way to free myself from his grasp. I don't regret what I did to him—or any of the others. But I know I will regret killing you. Like I said before, you're a spitting image of him. I can't let the light leave those green eyes again.

I may be evil, but in the end, you're the only one that keeps me sane. You've made me storm the way a heart cries before it's stabbed. I look at you and I am reminded of what I have done, and the legacy that your father has left behind. I can't completely ignore my past, you know. I am not anymore, but I used to be a Storm Hawk too. Perhaps I am not completely vicious, because your victories give me hope too.

This conflict kills me. That's why I try to hard to defeat you. The concept of 'finding oneself' is an adolesent thing. I am an adult, and by now, I should know what my role is. I am a Cyclonian, I tell myself. And you are the enemy. But I am never fully convinced. Once you're dead, I will be at peace. It's why I want to put my knife through your heart, and it's also why I don't.

You're my second chance, you see. You're a choice I can make. The question is, who am I betraying, and for what? I tell myself that my loyalties lie with Cyclonia, and my dreams are its dreams. But ever since I met you, I'm not so sure.

Until the day I figure myself out, I'll keep battling you. But promise to fight like your father did. Because that makes me proud of you.

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**A/N: There. Now I like Dark Ace so much more. **

**It's really strange how he insists to fight Aerrow like he's obsessed. If only the show had gone into more detail about that. You have to admit, there's nothing more awesome than a good villain, and Dark Ace has unmined potential. **

**Hope you liked it. **


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